Ministry of Defence commits to youth skills campaign

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has made a public commitment to add its weight to the youth skills agenda after joining The 5% Club employment campaign.

By joining the industry led initiative during National Apprentice Week, the MoD as the largest employer of apprentices in the UK, is committed to the aim of ensuring that 5% of its UK workforce are apprentices, graduates or sponsored students on structured programmes within the next five years.

The MoD’s civilian branch and the three armed services – the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force – are included as members and committed to addressing youth unemployment and skills shortage. The MOD has also committed, as part of the charter, to encouraging other businesses to partake in the campaign.

Over the years, the MoD has made concerted efforts to recruit young people through apprenticeship and graduate schemes and is currently responsible for 19,000 apprentices.

Philip Dunne MP, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology said: “The MOD, as a whole, is the largest apprenticeship user and provider in the UK, and 95% of Armed Forces basic training has apprenticeship accreditation. Apprenticeships provide structured training and achievement that benefits both employers and employees, which is why we provide them for so many roles – from engineering to policing. Committing to the 5% Club makes perfect sense, and whilst we already well exceed the 5% target, we are proud to support a good idea that resonates with our values, practices and wider government policy.”